A Cat Comparison
by Philanthropics
Summary: One-off. Maki was used to being by herself, but an energetic girl in her class caught her eye. After becoming friends, certain thoughts only grow stronger.


**Someone mentioned in another review that they wanted some Maki/Rin. Here's an attempt!** **It was kind of tough, I have a hard time getting some characters right. I'm sorry!;;**

 **Also geez please wish me luck for finals this week! Here's another short story.**

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Maki never got along with people.

It was never intentional; she just didn't work well with most. Her tidbits of sass were occasionally found off-putting, but she certainly didn't see herself as mean spirited. It was just that admitting feelings, romantic, platonic, or other, was completely off limits. Even if she wanted to say such embarrassing thoughts aloud, she wasn't even sure she could physically do so. She found it much easier to tuck herself behind an ounce of light teasing than to speak of her emotions.

In middle school, Maki wasn't close with any of her classmates. They spoke to her in group projects and asked questions over homework, but never made the effort to become more than acquaintances. Then again, she certainly never bothered to strike conversation with them either. A part of that was because she lacked the confidence to do so. She was scared they would dislike her, and to avoid hurt feelings, she never went out of her way to be close with anyone.

She wasn't sure which came first, her lack of self-confidence or her inability to speak openly to the people close to her. Instead, she was sure that they went hand in hand, and it made her feel weak. She wanted to do the things that all the other girls her age did. Her house was huge, yet no sleepovers were hosted in it. Girls kept collections of photos of themselves with friends from goofy photo booths, and she had not a single one. She heard girls gossip about celebrities, and she skimmed magazines at convenience stores to give her something to talk about with them, but no one ever asked.

At the start of high school, two girls caught her eyes. They were completely different from each other, and that peaked her interest. In one, a hushed doll named Hanayo, she saw a small part of herself in. Hanayo was the quiet type, and she was sure if it wasn't for her friend, she wouldn't talk at all. The difference between that girl and herself, she thought, was the girl's excuse for her silence was her timorous personality. Hanayo was much more soft and approachable than herself, she admitted, but she wondered how long she could stand on her own. Maki hid her insecurities behind a tough exterior, and took comfort in the thought she at least _looked_ cool.

The other girl, who Maki found more curiosity in, was a bubbly spirit named Rin. She was loud in ways that Maki could never see herself being. She was willing to talk to anyone without a second thought. Her hair was short and her blouse was more often wrinkly than the other girls. She didn't care how she looked, but she was still cute in a way Maki was jealous of. She didn't know what it was about the girl that gained her attention, but her thoughts of her ranged in a short period of time.

At first she thought it was envy from watching her communicate so well with the other girls. Then, she wondered if it was appreciation for her outspokenness and the way she was free. She was baffled, and wondered if it was a feeling stronger than the other two, and unwillingly more embarrassing. A four letter word she would rather die than say.

She adored the courage the other girl had. She admired the tenacity to do and be whatever she wanted without fear of being a nuisance or disliked. The innocent and expressive demeanor Rin held, Maki hated to admit, she thought was cute.

And once Muse formed, how she felt became more obvious.

As a fellow member, Rin and Hanayo invited her to eat lunch with them. It was the first time since primary school she ate with people. She quickly picked up on the dynamics of the relationship between Rin and Hanayo.

Rin needed Hanayo to make sure she did what she was supposed to. Without Hanayo's reminders of homework and test dates, Rin would have been even worse at school than she already was. She gently pushed Rin to take care of herself and was a source of good decisions. Hanayo needed Rin as a source of company. Rin reminded her to be bold and adventurous.

Maki wondered how she would fall into this equation, and if any of them would ever rely on her as a source of anything positive. It was a mystery to her, and for that she was both intrigued and slightly scared. Maki placed herself both mentally and emotionally in-between the two girls. She wasn't Hanayo. She wasn't Rin. She was Maki. But, after a few weeks' worth of lunch dates, Maki felt the most comfortable with the two girls than she ever had with anyone else. While she did love all the girls of Muse, Hanayo and Rin kept a special place in her heart.

However, while Hanayo was dear to her, it was Rin who really stole the show in Maki's eyes.

Maki knew that she could never have the relationship Rin and Hanayo had, but she was happy with all the time she spent with them. But, she didn't want a relationship like Rin and Hanayo. She wanted a relationship like Rin and Maki. She never wanted to copy what they had, and instead wanted something special that only Maki and Rin could share.

It was a warm day, and Hanayo had called in sick. It was rare for her to be absent. Maki wondered if it was the first time since high school started that Hanayo missed a day. With one friend away, Rin focused the bulk of her energy on Maki. In theory it sounded nice, but it was something that she wasn't prepared for.

"Hey, Maki, wanna eat outside today? It's so warm and sun feels really great today, nya!"

"I guess," she shrugged, and twirled the end of her hair. "Just don't get sleepy afterwards. You've slept through math three times this week already, and you're making me look bad by association," she warned.

"Of course not!" Rin puffed in a pout, offended that Maki even brought it up. She looked like a chipmunk, and Maki wanted to pinch her cheeks. "I only fell asleep because I was bored, but if I get some fresh air, it'll wake me up. It's simple, nya!"Maki still held doubts.

The two sat on their blazers, Maki sat under the shade of a tree, and Rin laid stretched under the warmth of the sun.

"Rin, where's your lunch?" asked Maki. Lunch and gym were Rin's favorite parts of the day, and Maki found it out of character for her to skip meals.

"Oh," Rin sat back up. "I hit snooze on my alarm this morning and I forgot to grab something on my way out," she said with a hint of embarrassment. "But at least I wasn't too late!"

Maki sighed. "Dummy, you have to go to bed earlier. Take this," Maki said and passed the girl half of her sandwich.

"Hm? What is it?"

"It's a panini."

"But Maki, won't you be hungry?"

"I already ate half," she admitted. "It's better that we both have at least a little food to get us through. It's not healthy for you to run around on an empty stomach."

"Thanks!" Rin exclaimed and took a huge bite. "It's delicious, nya!" she said through a full mouth.

"Just bring a lunch for tomorrow. I don't want-" Maki started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Look! A cat!" She pointed to a shorthaired cat with orange and buff fur a few yards away. It sprawled itself out on the sidewalk. Rin leapt from her seat and gently crept towards it.

"It's a wild cat. It probably has fleas, you shouldn't go near it," warned Maki.

"It's fine, it's fine!" assured Rin. She took a piece of ham from her sandwich and held it extended in the palm of her hand. The cat saw her, but didn't budge.

"Rin, you're allergic to cats. You shouldn't even be getting this close." Maki, the stubborn girl she was, remained seated. She twirled the ends of her hair and watched the other girl.

"I don't want it to starve!" She moved one step closer.

"If it was hungry, wouldn't it be more interested in your food?"

To this debate, Rin puffed her cheeks yet again and faced the other girl. "Geez, Maki. Cats have feelings too; it might be lonely!" She moved two steps closer, and the cat found curiosity in her.

Maki sighed. She didn't particularly care at this point in the discussion, she knew Rin was going to do what she wanted to do. Despite Rin's mannerisms, Maki didn't know the girl was _this_ fond of them. The cat sniffed the contents of the girl's hand. Rin tossed the meat on the floor near the cat and promptly sat down. The feline cautiously made its way towards the food, and Rin picked out another strip of ham from the sandwich. She placed it on the floor closer to her.

"You know," Rin spoke, her voice soft and eyes focused on the animal. "You remind me a lot of a cat, Maki."

"What? Me?" this startled the girl. The calm sincerity in Rin's voice was something she wasn't used to. Rin grabbed one more piece of meat. She placed it on the ground close to her, and the cat ate it nearly a foot away from Rin. She held out her hand, the cat sniffed it, and then allowed the girl to pet it. She gently scratched its head and continued the conversation.

"Yes, I think you're like a cat, Maki! They're intimidating if they don't trust you, but once they do, you can pet them all you want, nya! Cats are cute and very quiet, so you don't even know they're there. They like solitude, but I think that they prefer to be with people," She caught herself monologuing and turned her head to face Maki. Rin, with a smile on her face, contrasted Maki's startled expression. She continued, but cautiously. "Before Muse, you always used to be by yourself. Weren't you lonely, Maki?"

Maki pressed her lips together. She wasn't expecting a conversation like this to arrive from lunch, and she was lost for words. Rin's eyes went back to the cat so she didn't see Maki blush and look away.

"It doesn't matter," her voice was slightly above a whisper.

"Maki?" the cat now laid in Rin's lap.

"It doesn't matter what I felt then."

"Maki! That's not true!" Rin said and she scooped the cat in her arms and stood up. The cat squirmed in her arms. "Your feelings always matter, no matter how old they are!" She let the cat down and it rubbed against her legs. She went quiet once more, and looked Maki directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry I never talked to you before."

Maki remained quiet at the turn of events. She _was_ lonely. But with Muse, she had eight other girls to spend her time with. She wasn't lonely anymore, she had friends. She had friends to spent time with her after school. She had friends to text. She had people to laugh with. She had Rin to eat lunch with and had conversations she never thought she would have. The spunky girl's courageous attitude rubbed off onto her, and she felt so much stronger now than ever before. She never felt so lucky in her entire life than to have these things available to her.

Especially the Rin part.

"I never bothered talking to you, either," Maki sighed in a way that ended in a single laugh. She hated being the one who had to be the comforting party because she was so bad at it. It was something she wasn't made for. "I'm content with how things are now, and the present is what's most important," said Maki.

Rin just smiled. She eventually chimed in, "I think you're wrong, Maki, but I'm happy you're happy now, nya!" The cat licked its paw in preparation for a bath.

Maki checked her watch to ease whatever tension lingered, "We should be going soon. We're going to be late for class."

"Gotcha!" Rin said and she half skipped, half ran back to where Maki kept her position under the tree. The cat returned to sunbathing as they left. Before they even got to the door entering the high school, Rin let out a sneeze. Maki was scared of another conversation, heavy or not, so she let the sneeze go. She would, however, be extra sure to remind Rin of her allergies next time she went to pet anything.

In math, Maki kept thinking about what Rin said to her. She wasn't expecting anything like that from Rin, and the fact that Maki was truthful with her own feelings left her in an embarrassed tizzy. She twirled the ends of her hair and focused her eyes outside the window, quickly grazing the scenery for the cat, but it was gone.

What Rin said kept replaying in her mind. The fact that Rin felt bad for not talking to her made her feel guilty in a way that she wasn't sure how. She didn't want the girl to feel any negative or sad thoughts, and Maki made a mental note to do something about that one day. Something in a passive way, or way that wouldn't bring too much attention to it, because that would just embarrass her again.

She turned to look at Rin. As predicted, she rested her head on her desk and slept.

Maki made another mental note to scold her for that later.


End file.
